Situated in the fertile Robertson Valley, farming and wagon building were the town's original industries. However, after the Second Anglo-Boer War of 1899, the wagon building industry collapsed when the railways took over the transport of all goods.  Robertson subsequently became famous for its ostrich farming, but this industry collapsed as well shortly after World War I and thus the farmers of the area turned switched to wine and fruit farming. Later, several successful racehorse stud farms were founded. Agriculture remains the mainstay of the town's economy up to the present day.

Tourism has also grown in recent years and the town has several South African National Monuments, such as the Pink Church (1859), the Museum (1860), the Edwardian-style house 12 Piet Retief Street (1904), the Victorian-style house 59 Van Reeneen Street (1914) and the Powder House (which used as a storage for gunpowder). The wine industry in Robertson has grown from less than 25 cellars in 1995 to more than 50 registered wine cellars as of today. There is a number of wine cellars that receives the highest awards both locally and internationally every year. Famous wine cellars or Robertson include Graham Beck, Springfield, Bon Cap and Majors Hill. There is also a range of small boutique wineries as Rosendal and Fraaii Uitzicht.

The valley has been inhabited for thousands of years by indigenous Bushmen and Khoi peoples. It was only about 300 years ago when, after a land grant by the Dutch Colonial Government to a more or less equal number of Dutch and Huguenot settlers to settle the area, that the town of Tulbagh was founded. The town developed slowly and over time and in the period many notable examples of Cape Dutch architecture, Victorian and Edwardian houses and other buildings such as Die Oude Drosdy (the original colonial Magistrate's complex) were built in the valley. Many of these lovely buildings were destroyed in an earthquake in 1969 but quite a number did survive the catastrophe. Church Street in Tulbagh is now graced by the largest number of original Cape-Dutch, Edwardian and Victorian National Monuments in one street in South Africa and is a major tourist attraction of the town to the present day.

Tulbagh is situated in a bowl surrounded by imposing mountain ranges, with the Obiqua Mountains to the west, the Winterhoek Mountains in the north and the Witzenberg Mountains to the east. The valley experiences a mediterranean-type climate. The southern side of the valley is open to cooling south-east winds during the hot summer months. Accordingly Tulbagh enjoys some of the most diverse and attractive conditions for viticulture in the Cape, and the differences in terroir available to wine makers allow for a wide diversity of distinctive wines of excellence, attributes which have attracted many new producers to the valley.

Worcester is located at an elevation of 220m and lies between the Breede River and the Hex River Mountains to the north. The surrounding valley is also the largest wine producing region in South Africa, contributing almost 20% of the country's viticultural output.

Worcester experiences more extremes of temperature than neighbouring Cape Town, as oceanic influences are blocked by the Du Toitskloof and Slanghoek Mountain Ranges to the west. The daytime maximum in summer averages in the low 30°C's, however, some days in February can reach an excess of 40°C. Summer is generally dry with the rare late summer thunderstorm, whilst spring and autumn are shoulder seasons of pleasant temperatures ranging from an average 10°C minimum to 25°C maximum, with the occasional rain shower